Rolling mill



J. W. SHEPERDSQN omans MILL Filed May 13, 1926 Iowa 727 079 J5)??? FJ/zeperdson @za I Patented Nov. 1, 1927 JOHN W. SHEPERDSON, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO MORGAN CON- STBUCTION COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAS- SAGHUSETTS.

ROLLING MILL.

Application filed May 13, 1926. SerialNo. 108,937.

The present invention relates to rolling mills. The invention resides in a novel disposition and arrangement of the stands of rolls in a rolling mill particularly adapting it as a merchant mill, to a wide diversity of products. while at the same time obtaining the maximum ot llexibility in the rolling operation and a wide range of selection in the use of the various stands o't rolls.

The above and other objects are obtained. as hereinafter described, without sacrifice of the tonnage capacity of the mill and with an exceedingly compact arrangement of the mill apparatus, all as fully set torth in the following description, in connection with which reference is had to the accompanying drawing, whose single figure is a diagrammatic plan view of rolling mill apparatus arranged in accordance with the invention.

Referring to said dnnving the prelimi nary reduction of the stock, as l'OCOlX'tBtl from a heating furnace, not shown, is etl'ected in a roughing mill, here shown as constituted by iour stands of rolls 1, 2, 3 and l. These four roughing stands are driven through the usual gearing from any suitable source of power, as for instance, a motor 13; and the arrangement and spacing of these stands is such that the stock runs free between the rolls 1 and 2 and between the rolls 2 and 3. The rolls 3 and 4 however, are arranged in juxtaposition for continuous operation. The stock, as elongated and reduced in sect ion by this preliminary rolling, is deliverml onto a suitable runout 14.

A broadside trai'ist'er mechanism of any well known construction is interposed between the runout l-l and a longitudinal conveying mechanism lti, the latter providing conveying rolls, not shown, which run in the opposite direction from the conveying rolls of the runout lzt'. After the stock from runout 1% has been transferred broac side to tho conveying device 16, it is passed through the stands of rolls 5 and 6, the same being arranged in juxtaposition for continuous operation, and driven, through suitable gearing, from the motor 13.

Another runout 17 receives the stock from the rolls 5 and 6, and a second broadside transfer mechanism 18 is interposed between said runout 17 and a longitudinal conveying means 19. The latter delivers the stock to stands of rolls 7 and 8, which are driven through suitable gearing from motor 13 in the same direction as the stands of rolls 1, 2, 3 and t and Which are arranged in juxtaposition for continuous operation upon the stock.

A suitable runout 20 receives the stock from the continuously arranged stands ofrolls 7 and 8, and if desired, said stock may be delivered by said runout 20 to a cooling bed 21 of any well known construction. If further rolling of the stock is desired, the apparatus provides a third broadside transfer mechanism 22 interposed between the runout 20 and another longitudinal conveying means 2;}. The latter serves for the delivery of the stock to a single stand of rolls 9, which constitutes part; of a :tinishing mill, here shown as consisting of the :tour'stands ofseparated rolls 9. 10, l1 and 12, all, as here shown,v being driven in alternate directions, through suitable gearing from motor 13.

A Y-transier conveying mechanism 24, of well-known construction, receives the stock from the rolls 9, and provides the usual means, in the form of skewed conveyor rolls 25, 25 for effecting the travel of each piece as received thereon in the opposite direction, so as to present the rear end of said piece to the next succeeding stands of rolls 10. A similar Y-transfer conveying mechanism 26 is interposed between the stands of rolls 10 and 11 of the finishing mill, and a third Y-transier conveying mechanism 27 is likewise interposed between the stands of rolls 1t and 12 of said mill. From the rolls 12, a suitable runout 228 is adapted to deliver the stock to a cooling bed 29 of any desired construction.

The arrangt-unent above described possesses a number ot' advantages over previously employed similar arrangements wherein provision is made in the roughing mill for continuous rolling, and where the rolling is done by a plu 'ality of rolls arranged for operating upon the stock singly in rolls 1 and 2 and in continuous relation in succeeding pairs of rolls. In such previous arrangements, as distinguished from the present arrangement, it has been customary to employ two or more pairs of continuously arranged roll stands in the roughing mill, instead of the single pair 3, 4 herein shown; in such an arrangement, the consequent spacing of these additional continuously ar ranged stands beyond the rolls 3 and 4, to

enable the bar to run free between the pairs of continuous stands,-gives, under the conditions previously used, considerable length to the roughing mill, and thus makes the last stand 01: roughing rolls and consequently the finishing rolls so far removedirom'the first stand of rolls in the roughing mill, that an operator experiences great difficulty 1n covering the distances in a mill so arranged. Furthermore, in the previously existing rollin ,mills of this type, a much longer broadside transfer mechanism for the product of the roughing mill .than the broad side transfer mechanism herein shown is necessary and this, in turn, necessitates a longer broadside transfer mechanism tov receive the stock from 'the intermediate rolls of the mill, corresponding to the broadside transfer mechanism 18 herein shown. In.

- type, but in addition, the usual connecting table between the pairs of continuously ar-' "ranged stands of rolls in the roughing mill is dispensed with; consequently, the present arrangement is not only cheaper to build,

but being shorter, requires a shorter buildmg to house it. I v

The present arrangement gives the maxied' rolling, without sacrifice of tonnage, resulting from continuous rolling. For example, continuous rolling is secured inthe pairs of continuously arranged roll stands 3 and 4,

5' and 6, and 7 and 8-, whereas in previous.

mills of this type, only two pairs of continuously arranged stands were provided,the

passes corresponding to 7 and 8 herein, being provided by separated stands of rolls, with an interposed broadside transfer mechanism corresponding to the broadside transfermechanism 18, but greater in length. In the through one of these present arrangement, the disposal of these passes 7 and'8 incontinuous relation aids materially in maintaining the temperature of the stock,.in that its passage through the two roll stands can be performed in practically the same time that it took to ass stands in the prevlous arrangement.

From the standpoint .of flexibility, the present arrangement permits a greater latitude in the choice of passes than the. previous arrangement above described. For example,

with the use of all twelve passes, four free passes 9, 10, 11 and 12 are provided beyond the last continuous rolling operation in the passes 7 and 8, and this is suflicient for the production of accurate sections. Or, if desired, ten passes may be employed by rolling through the stands 5 and 7 and by dummying through the stands 6 and 8. Nine passes can be used by dummying through stand 4, addition to dummying through the'st'ands 6 and 8. Eight passes can be used by employing. the stands of rolls 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 12, and seven passes can be used by employing this same arrangenemt with theomission of the stand 4. While the same omissions can be made in thepreviously used millabove described, it is evident that the. stock. in passing" through said mill must traverse a greater. distance than that required to be traversed in the present arrangement. .Another alternative ofiered by the present arrangement is i As shown in the drawing, a connection 30 may be provided between the Y-transfer con-' veying mechanisms 24 and 27 so that the I stock, if desired, after passage-through the rolls 9 may be finished by passage through- -the rolls 12,.this cutting out the reductions normally efi'e'cted by. passage through the rolls l0 and 11. Furthermore, as shown at 31, a broad side transfer mechanism'may be provided between the longitudinal conveyor 1 16 and the runout 20-, thus making it possi-.

'ble, when desired, to transfer the stock mum of flexibility, resulting from interrupt--.

broadside from the runout 14 to the longitudinal conveyor 23, without passing it through any of the roll stands 5,

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a'

roughing 111111 comprising a train of alined 6, 7and8. Y

stands of rolls, of which the last pair only train and each of said continuously arranged *pairs of stands, and a Y-transfer conveying mechanism for delivering the stock. from each of said single stands to the next suc--.

ceeding single stand.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a I

roughing mill comprisinga trainof alined stands of rolls, of which the last pair only are arranged in juxtaposition for continuous operation, in combination with succeeding.

pairs of continuously arranged stands, offset laterally .at increasing distances from said roughing train, .means selectively operable to render one or'the other stand of any of said pairs of stands inoperative during the passage of the stock therethrough, and means for finishing the rolling of said stock by passage through one or more of a plurality of single stands of rolls, ofiset laterally at increasing distances from the last palilr of continuously arranged stands of r0 s.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a roughing mill comprising four stands of rolls, with the last two stands only arranged in .juxtaposition for continuous operation, an intermediate mill comprising a plurality of .pairs of continuously arranged stands, and a finishing mill comprising four sin 1e stands of rolls with interposed Y-trans 'er conveying mechanisms for the stock, the first'and third of said Y-transfer conveying mechanisms being connected, for the delivery 15 of the stock, when desired, from the first to the fourth of said single stands of rolls.

Dated this thirtieth day of April, 1926.

JOHN W. SHEPERDSON. 

